❝Police haven’t released a motive in the attack, but after Pagourtzis was arrested he told officers that he targeted students he didn’t like and wanted his story told, according to an affidavit filed in Galveston County court.❞ via USA Today
…he targeted students he didn’t like and wanted his story told. Let that sink in for a moment.
The phenomenon of shootings in schools is too complex to assign sole blame. Whether you believe it is the result of lax gun laws, the NRA, the government, bad parenting, spoiled kids, mean kids, mental health, the media, or whatever else- it matters little unless communities are willing to work together to address and deal with these issues.
One way to potentially prevent copycat incidents would be for the media to stop making these kids famous by splashing their mugshots across the internet.
We will never eradicate ignorance, less than stellar parenting or the fact that our kids will definitely encounter troubled/mean kids throughout their school days and in life. Most kids, at some point, will find themselves in situations where they are embarrassed, humiliated, rejected, harassed, pressured, ostracized and more. We must teach them how to cope and, in age appropriate stages, not sugar coat everything. We must teach them that shit, in fact, happens and, while whatever the “shit” is, isn’t right- here’s how you can handle it. Too many kids (and parents) have been conditioned to overreact to even the slightest conflict.
We hear over and over again in these cases ‘he/she was bullied’, in this case it sounds like rejection from a love interest played a large part in his decision to seek revenge. Nevertheless, these terms are worn out and do not tell the whole story, or include the psychology behind the perpetrators of such horrific acts.
Early education, thoughtful, honest conversations, assemblies and workshops in and out of school are key to affecting any kind of change.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks for stopping by,
xo Jen
J. J. Cannon 